A former assistant coach from South Carolina’s football team is set to make a significant transition to the National Football League (NFL).
In an exciting development reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Davis Koetter, who served as the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Gamecocks during the 2025 season, is moving on to join the Cincinnati Bengals. There, he will take on the role of assistant wide receivers coach. However, it was not Pelissero who first broke this news; that honor belongs to Dirk Koetter, Davis's father and a seasoned head coach with extensive experience in both the NFL and college football. He announced his son's career move during a radio segment on KTIK 95.3 The Ticket's "Prater and the Ballgame" show.
Davis will be stepping into a Bengals team that already includes a familiar face from South Carolina: linebacker Demetrius Knight. Knight had an impressive rookie season after being selected in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft.
During the 2025 season at South Carolina, Koetter worked closely with the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula. After Shula was let go, Koetter continued to contribute by assisting interim playcaller Mike Furrey.
Before joining the Gamecocks, Koetter honed his skills as an offensive graduate assistant at the University of Texas for two years, where he played a pivotal role in guiding the Longhorns to consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoff following the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His playing background as a wide receiver at both Portland State and Boise State adds to his expertise in the field.
In other news regarding the Gamecocks’ coaching staff, Jordan Dove, who was also an assistant, recently secured a position as a defensive tackle coach at Kansas State. Additionally, South Carolina has welcomed new hires including Jason Smith as the assistant offensive line coach, Jacob Oehrlein as the assistant tight ends coach, and Mike Anthony as the assistant quarterbacks coach. Notably, Anthony's hiring came about three weeks ago, filling the same role previously occupied by Koetter.
Furthermore, the USC coaching staff has bolstered its ranks this offseason by bringing in Rex Hogan as the Director of Scouting. Meanwhile, former assistant linebackers coach Trey Money has been promoted to the full-time linebackers coach position, providing defensive coordinator Clayton White with increased flexibility in his coaching strategies.
If you’re interested in discussing more about South Carolina football and these changes within the coaching staff, feel free to join the conversation!
